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The Old Testament: A Historical, Theological, and Critical Introduction
A Respected Scholar Introduces Students to the Discipline of Old Testament Studies
Richard Hess, a trusted scholar of the Old Testament and the ancient Near East, offers a substantial introduction to the Old Testament that is accessibly written and informed by the latest biblical scholarship. Hess summarizes the contents of the Old Testament, introduces the academic study of the discipline, and helps readers understand the complex world of critical and interpretive issues, addressing major concerns in the critical interpretation of each Old Testament book and key texts.
This volume provides a fulsome treatment for students preparing for ministry and assumes no prior knowledge of the Old Testament. Readers will learn how each book of the Old Testament was understood by its first readers, how it advances the larger message of the whole Bible, and what its message contributes to Christian belief and the Christian community. Twenty maps, ninety photos, sidebars, and recommendations for further study add to the book's usefulness for students. Resources for professors are available through Baker Academic's Textbook eSources.
Richard Hess, a trusted scholar of the Old Testament and the ancient Near East, offers a substantial introduction to the Old Testament that is accessibly written and informed by the latest biblical scholarship. Hess summarizes the contents of the Old Testament, introduces the academic study of the discipline, and helps readers understand the complex world of critical and interpretive issues, addressing major concerns in the critical interpretation of each Old Testament book and key texts.
This volume provides a fulsome treatment for students preparing for ministry and assumes no prior knowledge of the Old Testament. Readers will learn how each book of the Old Testament was understood by its first readers, how it advances the larger message of the whole Bible, and what its message contributes to Christian belief and the Christian community. Twenty maps, ninety photos, sidebars, and recommendations for further study add to the book's usefulness for students. Resources for professors are available through Baker Academic's Textbook eSources.
816 pages, Hardcover
Published November 15, 2016
71 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Richard S. Hess
55 books13 followersRichard S. Hess (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is Earl S. Kalland Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Denver Seminary in Littleton, Colorado, and editor of the Denver Journal. He is the author or editor of more than twenty-five books, including Israelite Religions, Song of Songs in the Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms, and the commentary on Joshua in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries series.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 4, 2017
Richard S. Hess is Distinguished Professor of Old Testament at Denver Seminary. Hess earned his Ph.D. from Hebrew Union College and has authored numerous books, including Israelite Religions: An Archaeological and Biblical Survey, Studies in the Personal Names of Genesis 1-11, and commentaries on Leviticus, Song of Songs, and Joshua. Hess is the current editor of the Denver Journal, former editor of the Bulletin of Biblical Research, and the associate editor of Old Testament, archaeology, and maps for the NIV Zondervan Study Bible. Most recently, Hess has released the present volume, a much-anticipated introduction to the Old Testament.
The Old Testament: A Historical, Theological, and Critical Introduction is an up-to-date, sizable, and comprehensive introduction to the OT and the current landscape of OT studies. Hess leaves virtually no stone unturned while he guides the reader through the various layers of the field. The Old Testament is divided into four major parts (Pentateuch, Historical Books, Poetic Books, and Prophetic Books) and covers all thirty-nine of the writings of the Old Testament. Hess opens with a suitable introduction to the structure, canonization, text and textual criticism of the OT. As attention is directed towards the content of the OT, the organization and arrangement of the volume provide readers a unique framework for optimal engagement with each OT book. Each chapter is divided into four major units: (1) Name, Text, and Outline, (2) Overview, (3) Reading, and (4) Theological Perspectives. The third unit (“Reading”) surveys six methods of interpretation, including, premodern readings, higher criticism, literary readings, gender and ideological criticism, ancient Near Eastern context, and canonical context. The fourth unit (“Theological Perspectives”) examines the major themes in each book. Lastly, each chapter includes a brief bibliography for further study.
There is much to be praised about this volume. The organization and arrangement of each of the chapters is easily at the top of the list. Where Hess does exceptionally well is the “Reading” section included in each chapter. Not only does the reader have an opportunity to engage with the standard introductory information expected, but Hess surveys the far-reaching hermeneutical landscape that has interacted with the content. Aside from the chapters, Hess has also included a number of sidebar articles, various maps and photos scattered throughout, and a handful of full-color plates in the center of the volume. The book is targeted towards a graduate-level audience and is scholarly and academic in nature. Nevertheless, as usual, Hess is both engaging and accessible, and thus, The Old Testament should find itself useful for a wide readership. Of course, the most praiseworthy aspect of this book is Hess’ ability to make the OT exciting and applicable for the student, and thus, indispensable for the professor.
The Old Testament: A Historical, Theological, and Critical Introduction by Richard S. Hess contains all the marks of a go-to standard for the field of OT studies. Hess’ expertise in ancient Near Eastern studies and his breadth of knowledge in the OT are on full display. The Old Testament is a must-have resource for scholars, students, and interested laypeople alike. It is accessible, extensive, and overflowing with riches. It comes highly recommended!
The Old Testament: A Historical, Theological, and Critical Introduction is an up-to-date, sizable, and comprehensive introduction to the OT and the current landscape of OT studies. Hess leaves virtually no stone unturned while he guides the reader through the various layers of the field. The Old Testament is divided into four major parts (Pentateuch, Historical Books, Poetic Books, and Prophetic Books) and covers all thirty-nine of the writings of the Old Testament. Hess opens with a suitable introduction to the structure, canonization, text and textual criticism of the OT. As attention is directed towards the content of the OT, the organization and arrangement of the volume provide readers a unique framework for optimal engagement with each OT book. Each chapter is divided into four major units: (1) Name, Text, and Outline, (2) Overview, (3) Reading, and (4) Theological Perspectives. The third unit (“Reading”) surveys six methods of interpretation, including, premodern readings, higher criticism, literary readings, gender and ideological criticism, ancient Near Eastern context, and canonical context. The fourth unit (“Theological Perspectives”) examines the major themes in each book. Lastly, each chapter includes a brief bibliography for further study.
There is much to be praised about this volume. The organization and arrangement of each of the chapters is easily at the top of the list. Where Hess does exceptionally well is the “Reading” section included in each chapter. Not only does the reader have an opportunity to engage with the standard introductory information expected, but Hess surveys the far-reaching hermeneutical landscape that has interacted with the content. Aside from the chapters, Hess has also included a number of sidebar articles, various maps and photos scattered throughout, and a handful of full-color plates in the center of the volume. The book is targeted towards a graduate-level audience and is scholarly and academic in nature. Nevertheless, as usual, Hess is both engaging and accessible, and thus, The Old Testament should find itself useful for a wide readership. Of course, the most praiseworthy aspect of this book is Hess’ ability to make the OT exciting and applicable for the student, and thus, indispensable for the professor.
The Old Testament: A Historical, Theological, and Critical Introduction by Richard S. Hess contains all the marks of a go-to standard for the field of OT studies. Hess’ expertise in ancient Near Eastern studies and his breadth of knowledge in the OT are on full display. The Old Testament is a must-have resource for scholars, students, and interested laypeople alike. It is accessible, extensive, and overflowing with riches. It comes highly recommended!
April 30, 2022
An excellent, holistic introduction to the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. Hess covers all of the major topics of each Biblical book: textual matters, historical criticism, history of interpretation, historical background, literary criticism, theological and canonical observations. He furthermore gives the reader some observations regarding gender and ideological criticism.
While written from a moderately evangelical perspective, it would be helpful for all graduate and seminary students. Hess helpfully points out how recent study in archeology and literary criticism invites the reader to be critical of some longstanding historical critical approaches. In the legacy of evangelicalism and other scholars like Brevard Childs, Hess is most interested in the final form of the text and reading it for the Church.
While written from a moderately evangelical perspective, it would be helpful for all graduate and seminary students. Hess helpfully points out how recent study in archeology and literary criticism invites the reader to be critical of some longstanding historical critical approaches. In the legacy of evangelicalism and other scholars like Brevard Childs, Hess is most interested in the final form of the text and reading it for the Church.
September 12, 2025
Things I really liked: it was brief scholarly material but would be accessible to a non-scholar interested in the academic side of studying the Old Testament. Aka, complex things discussed simply. It discussed the manuscript background which I enjoyed, outlines for each Old Testament book, and then how the book has been interpreted in the past. Then how different specific critical schools have approached it. The author seemed to present the information without “choosing a side” which I appreciated. However, under the “gender and ideological” interpretation section for each book, it felt to me like he was trying to almost explain away or dismiss concerns about the presentation of women in the OT. I have no idea the author’s own stance, that was just the impression I was left with. Overall though, nice to read!
June 14, 2017
This review is dedicated to Graham Michael....critiquer of the critiques....reviewer of the reviews. He has incessantly given me grief over the 3-star review that I gave to Irenaeus' "Against Heresies" I am not surprised by this behavior from a Kentucky fan (two words...Luke Maye). Since I will be providing a review of this work in a journal, I will unabashedly leave my 3-star review here without comment, except to say this—it is an introduction to the Old Testament...it doesn't have much of a chance of getting more than 3 stars.
June 2, 2021
Ganz viele Informationen auf wenig Seiten. Daher anstrengend zu lesen, aber es lohnt sich. Dieses Buch gibt eine super Übersicht über die einzelnen Bücher des AT und auch viele Namen und Quellen die man aufsuchen kann, wenn man sich vertiefen möchte. Hess zeigt verschiede Meinungen und Ansichten auf, und versucht weitmöglichst objektiv zu sein.
November 10, 2018
Really good overview of the entire Old Testament.
December 27, 2022
This was one of the textbooks for my OT survey classes in seminary. Helpful introductory material for each book.
April 6, 2024
Solid intermediate level Intro to OT text. Best parts are the parallels with the Ancient Near East.
March 4, 2025
Read most of the book for an OT class. Solid overviews of the OT books in their historical and literary contexts with a treatment of higher criticism as well as gender and ideological criticism.
November 28, 2020
Read for seminary class.
August 2, 2023
An adequate introduction and summary, but the level of scholarship in the commentaries and interpretations of the texts is not particularly high. There are too many weakly supported speculations, and the author seems to be largely ignorant of the deep scholarship of Jewish scholars and Rabbis, who have Hebrew skills and additional context that the author sorely lacks (see The Jewish Study Bible for an exemplary treatment of the Old Testament).
This is a popular text, so it's worth being familiar with it to understand what your peers probably read, but you can find better textual analysis elsewhere.
This is a popular text, so it's worth being familiar with it to understand what your peers probably read, but you can find better textual analysis elsewhere.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews